Serbian Trade Association “Privrednik” (“The Merchant”) Database
SERBIAN TRADE ASSOCIATION PRIVREDNIK DATABASE :
http://baza.privrednik.net/
search options:
Serbian Trade Association “Privrednik” (The Merchant)
1897-1947.
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For the study of the history of the Serbs in Croatia during the “long” XX century and their citizens culture there is no phenomenon as important as Serbian Trade Association “Privrednik” ( “The Merchant” ) which existed between 1897. and 1947. The idea behind it, to design a systematic network through which talented but poor village children were sent to learn trades and be apprentices with the merchants in the most developed urban centres of Austria-Hungary and later Kingdom of SHS / Yugoslavia, was not exclusively Serbian in its origin. But, when it comes to Serbs in Croatia at the turn of the XIX and XX century, this idea was an act of self-determination and their firm belief that only through hard work and enterpreneurship that responds to the needs of the modern society a strong class of people who have means to support their own future can be created. This class was created to be the future stronghold of the entire Serbian community in Croatia, and later the state of Yugoslavia.
It is also an important fact that the Serbian Trade Association was created in the period after the Military Frontier province (Military Krajina) was dismantled, the province in which most of the Serbs in Croatia lived. In Military Krajina, throughout its history, the merchant culture of hard work and entrepreneurship, unless part of the military support sistem, was not highly respected or widespread among the common people who were Non-Catholics.
Although the history of the Serbian Trade Association “Privrednik” ( “The Merchant” ) is well known and documented, there are many aspects that need still to be researched and studied, involving methodology that has not been put to much use in the regional historiography – through projects like this one, whose empirical foundation is the quantitative historical study that aims to interpret the social, kultural and historical aspects of the “Privrednik” phenomenon.
“Memorial book of the Serbian Trade Association ‘Privrednik’ 1897-1947.” (Belgrade, 1984.) provides personal information on 36.775 Privrednik cadets , the year, month and date a child became “Privrednik Cadet” ( pitomac ) and started their learning or apprenticeship, individual ID number which is also the number of the personal file in the archive of the association, surname, name and father’s name, place of origin, name of the mentor* appointed by the association ( *Serbian Orthodox Church priests and teachers mainly) , as well as the name of the employer, his profession or trade, and the town to which the cadet was sent. Based on this information that has been entered into the computer database and organized with one of the best research programs designed for social studies (SPSS), we have the opportunity to process and analize it through an advanced statystics data processing methodology.
Based on data processed in this manner, as well as the additional archival and library studies, we can create an overwhelmingly detailed portrait of not only the individual Privrednik cadets ,but also of the Serbian Trade Association “Privrednik” foundation as a whole in the turbulent socio-economic and socio-cultural contexts of its time, and the process during which the traditionaly rural ethnic Serbian population matured into vital urban class of skilled craftsmen, entrepreneurs and merchants, thus reinforcing the historical process of the modernization of the Serbs in Croatia* (*and Austria-Hungary / Yugoslavia) 
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Authors of the book that is accompanied by a CD-ROM copy of the database are prof. dr. sc. Drago Roksandić, from the Department of History of the Facutly of Philosophy in Zagreb, and doc. dr. sc. Damir Ljubotina, from Department of Psychology (chief programmer), who have been continuously working with a large group of contributors on the database itself and are the authors of the book which is limited to 300 pages of text.
prof. dr. sc. Drago Roksandić
“PRIVREDNIK” DATABASE AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR THE RESEARCH OF ETHNIC SERBIAN ANCESTRY FROM AUSTRIA-HUNGARY:
-the database is free, public, available online and with many well developed search options integrated.
-the spelling of the surnames, names and placenames is accurate and all data was entered by native speakers, with use of full Serbian language Latin script (diacriticts).
-database contains about half a million individual entries of information ( names of cadets, caretakers, employers, profession, place of origin, location to which the cadet was sent…)
-the association and its database cover the territory of the entire former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia), as well as traditional ethnic Serbian communities in neighbouring countries ( Hungary, Romania)
-names of the employers who were Jewish, Hungarian, or German are in the database written using the orthography of their native languages, making it extremely useful for localized research of ancestors who belonged to these ethnic groups .
-“Privrednik” online database is the best research tool available for confirming the period ethnic and religious affiliation of your ancestors if they were ethnic Serbs and belonged to Serbian Orthodox Church.
– only a tiny fraction of children from other groups entered this highly ethnically and religiously profiled network, and of these children all were from communities and families where a religious/ethnic conversion had taken place at some point in the past, but the family still identified and lived connected to its ethnic Serbian *relatives* during the period that “Privrednik” was active( Greek-Catholic families from Žumberak, Muslim families from Bosnia, Roman Catholic families from Hungary).
– this is especially true in Croatia, where the majority population shunned and ignored Serbian Trade Association “Privrednik” from the very founding – the magazine that was published annualy by the association is recorded to have had ” exactly three Croat subscribers”, and its premises were regularely broken into and raided.
-the birth year of the cadet is not listed in the database – if you are trying to establish it keep in mind that SGS Rodoslovlje has used this database quite extensively, and thorugh comparing with other records and information we located cadets as young as five and as old as fifteen years at the time they started their appreticeship.
Estimated birth year of a cadet = ten years off the year listed (+/- five years)
so if a cadet started apprenticeship in 1902,
we estimate the birth year to be 1892. (+/- 5 years)
-each entry in the database is based on an existing individual personal record and file that is part of the Privrednik archives. If you locate a member of your family in the online search, there is much, much more genealogical and personal information that can be obtained from the paper archives.
project ownership and details:
Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Centar za komparativnohistorijske i interkulturne studije i Srpsko privredno društvo «Privrednik», Zagreb, Istraživački projekt,Srpsko privredno društvo «Privrednik» (1897. – 1946.): poduzetnici, povjerenici i pitomci KOMPJUTORSKA BAZA PODATAKA O «PRIVREDNIKOVIM» PODUZETNICIMA, POVJERENICIMA I PITOMCIMA Voditelji: Prof. dr. sc. Drago Roksandić, Nikola Lunić, prof. Koautori: Marko Ignjatić, bacc. oec. Damjan Kovačić, bacc. hist. Nikola Lunić, prof. prof. dr. sc. Drago Roksandić
mag. Milena Savić Dražen Urch, prof.Dejan Zadro Zagreb, 2010.
web presentation:
Serbian Trade Association Privrednik internet page is supported by the Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Culture, Media, and Information Society
IF YOUR ANCESTORS ARE PART OF PRIVREDNIK HERITAGE YOU CAN CONTINUE THEIR HONORABLE MISSION BY DONATING TO PRIVREDNIK CHARITIES THAT SPONSOR THE NEW GENERATIONS OF CADETS:
http://www.privrednik.net/financiranje/kako-donirati.html
TEN PRIVREDNIK RULES TO BE OBSERVED BY CADETS 1897.
(to be translated and included in the article in Austria-Hungary, once the techs fix the bugs and I can post it there -again :D)
I.
Kad se oslobodiš, poljubi gospodara u ruku i zahvali mu, što te izučio, na noge podigao i oslobodio. Pomisli samo, kako si bio malen, neuk, nespretan i zbunjen kad si došao, pa ćeš razumjeti, da je gospodar imao dosta strpljenja, muke, truda i troškova oko tebe. Ako mu se kad ma što od gospodara, ili od koga bilo, krivo ili žao pričinilo, ne istjeruj i ne prigovaraj, već progutaj i ćuti. Na mlađima je red da poštuju, a ne na gospodaru. Na muci se poznaju junaci, umiljato janje dvije ovce sisa, a gospodareva će riječ i preporuka i poslije odlučivati i tebi koristiti, ako si to zaslužio.
II.
Svaki razumni mladić treba da ostane i poslije šegrtovanja što duže kod istog gospodara. S tim se pokazuje zahvalnost, svako će znati, a osobito drugi gospodari, kod kojih ćeš mjesto tražiti – da je prvi gospodar jedva dočekao da nevaljalca iz kuće istjera.
III.
Piši svome gospodaru svake godine i čestitaj mu svake godine, dok si živ, isto tako i učitelju i parohu, koji su te preporučili. Javi im, da si izučio i stupio u plaću, zahvali im na dobroti što su se za tebe zauzeli, da stupiš u svem za srećom i napretkom. Bit će im milo čuti za svakoga đaka, da im je osvjetlao obraz, da je čestit i pošten, da će takav i nadalje ostati, te vremenom postati valjan i napredan čovjek. (Javljaj se makar jednom godišnje i njima dok si živ, čestitaj im njihovo Krsno ime, ili Novu godinu i tada bit će im milo, da su im njihovi đaci zahvalni.)
IV.
Ne misli kad si se već oslobodio, da već sve najbolje znaš, i da ne trebaš više ništa učiti. Baš kad se oslobodiš onda i počinje pravi početak učenja, jer je šegrtsko vrijeme bilo ludo djetinjstvo i pripremanje za pravo učenje. Teško mladiću, koji misli da je dosta pametan, ako se nagizda, ako zapali cigaretu i tako dalje. Gluposti i neznanje se većma vide i osjećaju na onome, koji misli da je u cifranju pamet, i koji se sa štapićem i rukavicama pravi da je fin i razuman – a uistinu je neotesan. Sad imaju već svuda stručne škole, večeri i drugi razni kursovi. Gledaj svakako da svake godine – osobito zimi – izučiš pokoji takav kurs, jer bez toga nema danas ni napretka ni ugleda.
V.
Upravi “Privrednika” javi također odmah da si oslobođen, od prve plaće upiši se za člana “Privrednikovog” društva. To košta svega 25 dinara godišnje, a dobivat ćeš redovno i list Privrednik i ostat ćeš kao čestit mladić i dalje upisan u društvo, a ako budeš točno vršio mu svoju dužnost, vodit će se o tebi i dalje briga, valjat će mu i poslije i preporuka, i imat ćeš i prijatelja i zaštitnika.
VI.
Upiši se odmah i u Zadrugu za štednju i kredit kod “Privrednika”, i počni da štediš i to redovito, stalno, neprekidno svakog mjeseca koliko možeš više. Po tome se vidi vrijednost svakog mladića, i uvijek ćeš lakše i prije naći preporuke, kredita i pomoći, kad se vidi i zna, da si odmah za pravog vremena počeo misliti na svoju sreću, da si počeo paziti na sebe i svoje poštenje čuvati. Pomisli na svoje roditelje, braću i sestre, koji se tebi raduju, da im budeš dika, ponos i pomoć, da se hvale tobom pred kumom, prijateljem, srodnikom, komšijom, poznanikom i pred svakim, a ne da te se stide, pa da te kunu i radi nevaljalstva odbacuju od sebe.
VII.
Čuvaj se rđava društva, lakomislenih i pokvarenih lažova, jer takvih ima svugdje. Druži se s boljim od sebe, od koga ćeš pametnu riječ čuti i poučiti se mnogo koječemu. I kada si pošten i čestit, lako će se zlo i pokvarenost za te prilijepiti među nevaljalcima. Rđavi i nepošteni ljudi znadu lijepim riječima primamiti mladića, a on ne vidi zlo, koje će ga stići. Mnogi lakomisleni mladić među rđavim i pokvarenim svijetom izgubi i svoje zdravlje i poštenje, a ima i takvih nesretnika, koji svoju vjeru i ime omalovaže i zaborave. Takav ražalosti zanavijek svoju familiju, koja se svojoj diki veselila, pa se stide i spomenuti sina pred ljudima i pred svijetom, jer je sebe unesrećio za sav život. A kad mladi dani prođu i nesretno, onda se poslije kasno kajati.
VIII.
Kad si god od posla slobodan, kad je svetac, mjesto rđavog društva uzmi dobru srpsku knjigu i čitaj sve više. Čitaj što više, naročito i o tvom zanatu i poslu. Knjiga je najbolji prijatelj, od koga ćeš najviše koristiti. U poslu, u kući, na ulici, među ljudima, i svagdje se odmah pozna po čovjeku, koji kupuje i čita što je korisno i poučno. Takvoga mladića svako većma voli i poštuje, jer je u svemu sposobniji, valjaniji od onoga, koji vrijeme uludo i u rđavom društvu provodi.
IX.
Ostani što duže na jednom mjestu, ne mijenjaj, ne seli se uludo, u vjetar bez potrebe i razloga, jer je stalnost najbolja preporuka. A kad dođe vrijeme da se mjesto mijenja, onda se dogovori s gospodarom gdje ćeš i kuda ćeš. Dok god, s onim, koji brigu o tebi vode, ne utvrdiš novo mjesto, ne ostavljaj i ne ispuštaj staro mjesto za živu glavu, jer je sramota ostati bez posla, jer ni jedan razuman gospodar ne uzima skitnica i lakoumnih besposlenjaka s ulice, koji se svaki čas sele i bez mjesta ostanu.
X.
Kad se primakne vrijeme rastanku s gospodarom, vrši svoj posao do zadnjeg dana pošteno i vjerno. Na odlasku zahvali gospodaru na dobroti i trudu, moli neka ti oprosti sve pogreške i rastani se s njim i s cijelom kućom u ljubavi, poštenju i prijateljstvu. Ljubav i prijateljstvo gospodarevo valjanom čovjeku uvijek i poslije – i Bog zna gdje i kad – mnogo valja. Najgadnije je rastati se od gospodara u prkosu i neprijateljstvu. A nema ništa ljepše, nego kad valjan mladić u kući svoga gospodara ostavi lijep trag, pošten glas i dobru uspomenu sa sobom. Takvoga mladića i gospodar i svi i kašnje i uvijek lijepo spominju kao čestitog i valjanog, milo im je i poslije čuti za njega, rado ga se sjećaju i uvijek ga preporučuju.
Kod gospodara su i tvoje školske svjedodžbe i svi spisi. Kad se oslobodiš, zamoli gospodara da ti sve povrati, pa onda čuvaj te spise dok si živ.
© Rodoslovlje Serbian Genealogy Society, 2012.